From Times of Old
by TheGreatOnesApprentice
Summary: Fate is a complex thing, destiny even more so. Can it be changed?
1. Chapter 1

The store was nothing special. It was just a little produce store with only six parking spaces out front, on the side of a lonely road. The road in question wasn't very special either. It started at one of many small towns that you would come across in Maine, and continued off into a very long stretch of highway that went though miles and miles of forest.

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, birds were chirping, and a gentle breeze rustled through all the trees that lined the road, creating a beautiful sound. Walking out of the afore mentioned store while talking to her mother on her cell phone, Anita looked up and saw two young men walking down the street… the middle of the street, to be exact. Now, on normal occasion she wouldn't think much about it, chalk it up to dumb boys that think they own the world, and just keep walking to her car.

But this was not a normal occasion, seeing that one of them was in armor and the other one was dressed as a peasant from medieval times.

"Got to go mom!" she said quickly. "No I'm fine! I just got to go!"

Ending her call with her mother, she began walking toward the boys just as the "Knight" proceeded to pull a sword out of his scabbard and point it at a car coming down the street towards them. As it got closer the blond pushed the "Peasant" behind him as if to protect him. The peasant obviously didn't like the idea of being protected, seeing that he began talking to the knight (who had still not taken his eyes off the approaching car) with frustration. Anita was still too far away to hear what they were saying, but the fact that they were arguing was crystal clear.

The car screeched to a halt, seeing that the boys were standing right smack-dab in the middle of the road. The man inside the car looked in fear at the _clearly_ insane boy with the _very_ real looking sword pointed at his car, and obviously was at a loss of what to do! Immediately seeing the danger that the boys, and possibly the poor man in the car was in, Anita, not thinking, quickly ran to the boys and stepped between them and the car before the knight stabbed the car as he clearly intended to do.

"What do you think you're doing you moron?" Anita yelled angrily. "Do you have a death wish or something?"

The blond "Knight" was more then a little shocked at the young woman yelling in his face, and the "Peasant" behind him didn't look much different. The two boys watched in shocked silence as the young woman took charge of the situation, not even breaking stride!

Stepping between the two boys and linking arms with them, she smiled apologetically at the poor man in the car.

"Sorry sir!" she called. "My cousins are _very_ devoted cos-players, and sometimes get carried away!"

Before the man could even think to call the police, Anita, both arms still linked with the two boys on either side of her, began to quickly pull them away from the seen towards her own car. She sighed in relief when she glanced back to see the man put his car in gear and continue driving.

Once the trio reached her car, it finally caught up to Anita just how dumb of an idea that was! One glance at the sword that the "Knight" _still_ had griped in his hand, told her that it was very much real. It could have impaled her! She could have died!

With all these thoughts running though her head, Anita's legs seemed to give out on her as she let go of the boys and reached for the door handle on her car. Before she could fall, the "peasant" boy grabbed her arm again, and helped her lean against the car for balance.

"Are you ok?" he asked with concern, an English accent evident as he spoke.

"He's right," said the Knight, matter-of-factly. "You don't look so well."

Shrugging off the brunette's hand, Anita turned and glared at the blond.

"I don't look well?" she asked, her glare never wavering from the blond. "Well," she continued. "Maybe it's because I just realized how stupid I was! Maybe it's because I realized that you could have killed me with one swipe of that sword of yours! You could have been a psycho murderer that just escaped from some institution somewhere! That would at least begin to explain why you are scared of cars, have no life experience, and why the heck you're dressed like **that**!"

Throughout Anita's rant, her voice had slowly raised in volume until, once again, she was yelling in the blonds face. And he didn't appreciate it either; and he let her know it too.

"I wouldn't have killed you!" he yelled back. "You just helped us escape that… whatever that was! And I am **not** a murderer!"

"A-and!" interrupted the peasant. "We may still need your help!"

Regaining her confidence, Anita backed up from the blond, leaned back up against her little blue car, folded her arms across her chest, and then quietly began to speak.

"Ok." she started. "Lets start with a simple question. Who are you guys?"

"I'm Merlin!" answered the "Peasant", reaching out with a smile to politely shake her hand, which Anita graciously accepted.

"And I'm Arthur Pendragon, Prince of Camelot" responded the blond.

Anita sat silently, greatly hoping that they were kidding. But, after a few moments of silence, she released a long sigh while placing her face in her hands.

"You're serious, aren't you?" she asked, deadpan.

"Yeeeessss. Why wouldn't we be?" Arthur asked, confused.

"You mean to tell me, that you're _the_ Arthur. Like, _King_ Arthur? Is that what you're asking me to believe?" she asked incredulously.

"Well," he said. "I'm not king yet. I'm still crown prince."

Heaving a large sigh, Anita lifted her face from her hands and faced Arthur again.

"Ok, she started. So lets assume you _are_ Arthur Pendragon. Then what are you doing here? _How_ are you here?"

"We were brought here by a powerful sorcerer." Arthur answered. "And we're assuming he did it to get us out of the way, and weaken Camelot. The prince suddenly disappearing by magic is sure to cause fear among the people."

"Sooooooo… magic?" she said curiously. "That's how you got here?"

Arthur rolled his eyes and was about to spout out a retort when Merlin seemed to realize something and beat him to the punch.

"Can I ask you a question?" he asked politely. Receiving a nod from Anita, he continued. "Where _is _here?"

Anita was silent for a moment. Thinking that if these guys were telling the truth, and that they really _were_ who they said they were, she didn't particularly want to tell them the truth. But, taking a deep breath, she dove into her explanation, praying that the boys would stop her and laugh, saying that it was all an elaborate trick and that she was stupid.

"You're in Maine," she began. "It's a state, part of the United States of America. That's the country you're in by the way… and… it's about f-four thousand four hundred miles away from… Camelot."

"United States?" asked Arthur.

"Four thousand four hundred miles?" asked Merlin, just as dumbfounded as Arthur was at her explanation.

"Yes." she answered quietly, looking anywhere but at them.

"There's more… _isn't there_?" Arthur said, glaring determinedly at Anita for answers. "You knew who we were, when we told you our names. It was like you'd heard of us before."

"Um, yes, there is more. I **have** heard of you before, from history and mythology classes in school. You two are part of some of the most beloved legends of all time! The tails of King Arthur and The Wi- um, Merlin… yeah."

"Legends?" Arthur inquired, either choosing to ignore her almost slipup, or missing it completely. "And how long ago did these legends take place?" Arthur asked gravely, finally beginning to see what Anita was driving at.

"Well, King Arthur supposedly lived during the sixth century… And it's the twenty first century now. So, if I figure correctly, that's about fifteen hundred years ago."

The boys were deathly silent, trying and failing to understand what Anita was saying to them. So they were silent. That is, until Arthur finally snapped.

"**Fifteen hundred years**?!" he yelled.

"That's impossible! said Merlin. Magic can't do that! Can it?"

"Apparently it can." Anita said quietly. "Cause here you are…"

"This is ridiculous!" Arthur cried, before saying accusingly. "You're lying to us aren't you? This has got to be some kind of sick joke!"

'Oh, that's it!' Anita thought.

"Why would I lie to you?" she asked quietly, looking down at the ground, trying to keep her cool and not yell at Arthur… _again_. "I'm just trying to help you."

Surprisingly, Arthur calmed right down seeing her so quiet all of a sudden. He turned his head to look at Merlin, who was looking worried about the brave girl as well. With a deep breath, he took a few steps to close some of the distance between them and placed a hand on her shoulder, which caused her to look back up at him.

"I am sorry," he began with a sigh. "This is a lot to take in… for both of us! He added, gesturing to Merlin with a chuckle. "I can hear the sincerity in your words, and I thank you for being honest with us," he finished sincerely.

'The prat never ceases to amaze me... sometimes.' Merlin thought to himself, smiling as Arthur managed to get a smile out of the brave girl.

Anita gave a small smile to Arthur as a reward for his words. Then, looking back and forth between her two new friends, asked one more question.

"How are you guys going to get back?"

Arthur and Merlin stared at each other, clearly thinking deeply. Anita could tell that Merlin knew more about the situation then Arthur gave him credit for; and that Arthur was at a complete loss for what to do.

"We don't know." Merlin said sadly.

"But we _will_ find a way!" Arthur stated firmly with determination.

Anita nodded in agreement with a smile, a real smile this time.

"You guys are going to need a place to stay!" she stated obviously. "I have plenty of room at my house, if you'd like?"

Her words clearly surprised the boys. Here was a girl that had just barley met them; and here she was, offering a nice place for them to stay, not even thinking twice! Her open generosity wasn't lost on the boys, and they graciously accepted her offer. After all, where else were they going to go?

After accepting Anita's invitation, there came the not-so-simple matter of getting them to climb in her car. Merlin was much more open to the idea once Anita gave him her reassurance that it was safe; Arthur wasn't convinced. A short time later, and after some arguing, Arthur agreed to get in the car… until Anita told him he had to put his sword in the trunk.

"No." he said firmly.

"Yes!" Anita responded just as firmly. "I am _not_ having that thing in the front of the car! What if someone sees it?"

"Arthur, will you just give her the sword already?" Merlin cut in, just as exasperated with Arthur as Anita was.

Arthur glared at Merlin for taking the girl's side instead of his. He then turned to said girl, to see her standing determinedly with her arms folded over her chest, leaning her weight on one foot, and staring at him expectedly.

Heaving a large sigh, Arthur unbuckled his sword belt, rapped the straps around the hilt, and slapped it into Anita's hand.

With an appreciative smile at Arthur, Anita walked to the back of the car and opened the trunk. She reached in and pulled out a blanket and wrapped it around the sword before placing it carefully inside the trunk. Walking back to the front of the vehicle, she quickly explained how to open the doors to the boys, and climbed into the drivers seat.

She had Merlin sit up front with her, and Arthur in the back. After all, she didn't want to draw too much attention to them by having a guy decked out in full battle armor in the front seat for all to see! It my have been a silly fear, but Anita reasoned that with her luck, they were better safe than sorry.

She truly felt so sorry for the boys; every bump, pothole, and noise made them flinch; even the vibration of the car itself seemed to be making them nervous! She had explained the purpose of seatbelts and demonstrated there function earlier, and she was definitely glad she did, as that seemed to be the only thing keeping the boys together! They both gripped the seatbelts across their chests like a lifeline, but with only one hand. The other hand was holding on tightly to something else. From what she could tell, Arthur was clinging to the edge of the chair, and Merlin gripped the armrest that sat between him and her.

Even though Arthur was obviously trying to hide his fear, (which wasn't working,) she could still see it through the way his eyes were rooted to the back of the head rest, his tight lips, and his slightly irregular breathing, that he was terrified.

Merlin's face was one of complete fear. His wide eyes shifted constantly from one thing to another outside of the car, and his fingers had a white knuckled grip on the armrest. Feeling her heart go out to him, Anita reached over and took Merlin's hand in hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze. His eyes met hers, and some of the fear left his gaze, allowing him to squeeze her hand in return.

"Just keep looking at me, ok?" she said softly, glancing away from the road every so often to look at him. "Tell me about your family, your friends."

Merlin knew what she was doing, and he appreciated it. He began telling her about his mother, Ealdor, Gaius, and some of his fellow servants, making some of his fear slowly ebb away. And through it all, her hand never left his for a second.

Arthur wasn't easily impressed, but he found that this girl's kindness and compassion touched him greatly. The gentle way she spoke to Merlin, and his responses to her questions seemed to even help _Arthur _calm down. It wasn't too long before Anita included him in the conversation as well, calming him further; he definitely was impressed.

Thankfully, the ride was only fifteen minutes or so, so Anita didn't have to worry about the boys too long. She pulled into the garage and quickly parked and turned off the car, bringing a sigh of relief from Merlin and Arthur. Climbing out of the car, Anita walked swiftly to the back and pulled out Arthur's sword, walked back, and placed it in his hands.

"See? That wasn't so bad, was it?" she asked with a grin.

"Oh no!" Arthur responded, his voice sounding higher then usual. He quickly cleared his throat before continuing. "Not bad at all!"

Anita choked back a laugh while turning around, not wanting to insult the prince.

"This way!" she said quickly, leading them through the door that lead into the house.

Her house was kind of smaller in size, nothing impressive. Just a little blue house, one of many off the coast of Maine; you couldn't even see any other houses because of the trees. The garage leads directly into the kitchen and living room. Down the hall, were her father's office and her parent's bedroom. In the kitchen was a staircase that leads downstairs to the basement, which had a large room for TV, fun and games, and all that. That is where Anita and her brother both lived, in their respective rooms, of course. After explaining all this to the boys behind her, she finally turned to look at them, surprised at what she saw.

Merlin and Arthur were clearly amazed at her home. They both wondered around the living room, looking at everything. Merlin was in awe at the family pictures that adorned the wall. Each depicted a member of her family in different stages of their lives. Her mother, her father, her big brother Alex, as well as herself, were all there. Arthur was more interested in looking at the furniture and such. He let his hand run over the upholstery of the couch and the tops of the end tables, clearly awestruck at their craftsmanship. And the lamps that adorned the tables were obviously confusing him with their purpose.

Anita had never really thought much about her house and her possessions, but looking at the wonder on the boys faces really put things into perspective for her. How could she have forgotten? Where they came from, they had nothing like this! Upholstered furniture, electricity, photographs, plumbing, and cars (to name a few), it was all new and spectacular to them. The house that once seemed small to her, with everything in it that once seemed average, now suddenly seemed like so much more than that, it was fantastic! With these grateful thoughts going through her head, Anita couldn't fight the happy smile that grew across her face.

Letting the two boys' wander, she quietly walked downstairs to the hall closet to find bedding and normal clothes for her two guests.

She opened the closet and pulled out one of the three mattresses there, with a bit of difficultly. Before she could do anything else the mattress was pulled from her grip. Turning, she came face to face with Merlin.

"Want some help?" he asked with a wide grin.

With a laugh, Anita happily agreed. With two of them helping, it only took a little while to lay the mattresses out and put on the bedding. The clothes would be another matter.

"Where's Arthur?" Anita asked.

"Upstairs," he answered. Rolling his eyes, he continued. "Don't expect any help from the prat though!"

"The prat?" she asked with a laugh.

Merlin simply grinned and laughed in response.

Just then, the object of their discussion came down the stairs, making them try to compose themselves. The prince took one look at their faces, and asked deadpan.

"What is it?"

The mirth that they had been trying to hide, burst out of them in peals of laughter; Arthur's question combined with the look on his face making it impossible to hold it in.

"Don't worry about it Princy!" she gasped out between fits of laughter. She quickly composed herself, successfully this time, and cut in before Arthur could fully process and comment on the nickname.

"Come on! We need to find you some clothes!"

She led them into her brother's bedroom, and walked into the closet. After digging through everything, and occasionally making Merlin or Arthur try something on, she had a few outfits for both of them.

"Sorry they're a bit big on you Merlin," she said apologetically. "My brother was built more like Arthur!"

"Oh, no!" he said with a smile. "It's fine! They're great, really!"

"Yes!" Arthur said. "Thank you again, for you kindness…um… uh."

Arthur and Merlin shared a shocked look between them, before Arthur let out an awkward laugh, while Merlin looked around embarrassed. Anita finally realized what was wrong after a moment, and was appalled at her manners! There _was_ a lot going on… but still!

'How did we not even think to ask her name!?' Merlin thought, mentally kicking himself.

"So…?" asked Arthur, looking at her expectantly.

With a laugh at her own forgetfulness, Anita answered the question with a small bow.

"Anita. My name is Anita!"


	2. Chapter 2

Dinner was definitely an adventure. After getting the boys settled in with beds, and clothes, as well as official introductions, Anita figured it was time to feed them.

'What should I make?' she thought to herself as she flipped yet another page of the cookbook on the counter. She was clueless as to what the boys would like. Plus, she hadn't made a meal for three in a while!

"Merlin?" Anita called softly to the living room. "What kinds of food do you and Arthur like?"

Merlin, hearing her call, got up from the couch he was sitting on and walked into the kitchen. Stopping just behind her, he looked over her shoulder at the book lying out on the countertop before her. From what he could tell, it was full of very detailed drawings of all different kinds of food! (The drawings even had color!) As well as what he could only assume, were directions on how to make them! And they certainly looked a lot more complicated than the stuff _he_ was used to eating! He glanced up to the open cupboard by Anita's head, and saw that she had _many_ other books like the one on the table.

Anita turned to look at Merlin, curious as to why he didn't answer her, and had to hold back a chuckle at the amazed expression that once again was on his face as he looked at her mother's cookbooks.

"Pretty cool, huh?" she asked with a smile.

Merlin looked over to her with a big grin on his face, and he answered her question with a simple, but excited, "Yeah!"

"But, _again_, what do you guys like to eat?" she asked with a chuckle, lightly tapping the cookbook with her finger.

"Well," he started. "Arthur's the prince, so he's used to a higher quality food then say, the people in the lower towns, but don't let that intimidate you!" he was quick to say.

"Don't worry, I won't!" Anita assured.

"And I'll eat anything you make, I'm sure it will be great!" he continued. "I'm not as picky as that prat."

Anita smiled at Merlin, than looked down at the book on the counter. It was her favorite, and had all her favorites in it, so it didn't matter to _her_ what they had. But…

Turning to Merlin, Anita grinned and handed the book over to him and said.

"Here, you chose what to have for dinner!"

"Really?" Merlin asked, surprise and a little excitement in his eyes.

"Sure!" Anita replied. "Just pick something that looks and sounds good! And if I don't have all the ingredients, you can just pick something else."

"Ok!" Merlin said excitedly, starting to flip through the book.

Anita grinned at Merlin's enthusiasm about choosing dinner. Then again, he was a servant after all; he didn't _get_ to make decisions like that! Then, a thought entered her mind.

"Hey Merlin?" she asked, turning. "Where's Arthur?"

Merlin raised his head and rolled his eyes. "Downstairs, brooding."

"Brooding?" she asked, confused.

"Yeah," he sighed. "He does that when he's upset. He's trying to figure out how to get back to Camelot most likely."

Anita sighed. "Maybe food will cheer him up," she said quietly, glancing over at the stairs. While Merlin was deciding, Anita went to the computer that sat in the corner of the living room and started doing research on the middle ages, mostly food, so she'd have some idea of what the boys were used to.

After a few minutes, Merlin looked up from the cookbook with a hopeful expression on his face.

"Can we have this?" he inquired to Anita, turning the book so she could see what he had chosen. He had no idea what it was, but it looked good to him! Anita smiled brightly when she saw his choice.

"Linguine with marinara sauce and shrimp," she read aloud. "Great choice Merlin! I'll get started on it!"

Merlin left for a moment to go check on Arthur and his "brooding", and whatever he said must have somewhat snapped Arthur out of it, because when Merlin came back, Arthur came with him. And that's when the adventure started!

Thankfully, they had everything they needed to make the dinner that Merlin had chosen. But everything that she did, from turning on the stove to heat the water, to taking the package of frozen shrimp out of the freezer to thaw in the microwave, caused a question to come out of the mouth of either Merlin or Arthur. 'How does it work? What does it do? What **_is_** that?' Just to name a few. Anita tried to answer each question as best as she could, and with every ounce of patience she had. She wasn't even going to start about the fact that they were both constantly looking over her shoulder _the whole time_! It was almost as bad as the first time she had tried to make soup by herself; her mother was exactly the same! Except it was much, much worse in the stress department when her mother did it!

Finally, when dinner was ready to be served, Anita asked Arthur to set the table.

"Think you can handle that Princy?" she asked with a smirk.

"I think I can do something as simple as setting a table," Arthur said with a glare. "Besides, why me and not Merlin?" he asked in annoyance. "I am a prince, and he is my servant!"

"Not here you're not!" she said firmly, surprising the blond. "Here, you are no different then everybody else! Here, there are no princes, and definitely no servants! So, you're right! You _can_ do something as 'simple' as setting a table! And Merlin will help me dish out dinner while you do it."

Figuring that there was no use in arguing, Arthur grabbed the silverware he needed, as well as napkins and glasses, and set them out on the counter. Arthur turned and looked at Merlin smugly, proud of the accomplishment of his task. That is, until Merlin looked over his work and said simply.

"You did it wrong."

"No I didn't!" he denied.

"Yes, you did," Merlin said. "This," he said, holding up a fork and placing it on the left side. "This is supposed to go here. Not there," he stated, gesturing to the right side of the place setting.

Anita didn't turn around; she just listened to Merlin correcting Arthur and tried not to burst into fits of laughter. She could hear Arthur grumbling as Merlin came back over to her side, but, nevertheless, she heard the clinking of silverware being moved as Arthur corrected himself.

'Well,' she thought, a little impressed. 'He's humble enough to bow to experience and correct his mistakes.'

Dishing up the last plate, she handed one to Merlin and carried the other two over to the counter, placing one in front of Arthur.

"Thank you for doing your part Arthur," she said with a kind smile.

Arthur was surprised at the soft words, but smiled in return anyway, throwing a smug look in Merlin's direction when she wasn't paying attention.

If Anita didn't have the two boys hearts before, she certainly had them after their first bite of her cooking. Wide eyes and generous compliments were poured upon her for her skill, causing a wide grin to grow on her face from the praise.

Dinner itself was a wonderful occasion. Arthur began telling her stories about all the quests and adventures that he and Merlin had been involved in, as well as some that happened _before_ Merlin even came to Camelot! Merlin occasionally cut in to correct something Arthur said, mostly when he called Merlin an idiot or coward. Merlin told some of his own stories as well, childhood in Ealdor with his friend Will, happenings with the servants of the citadel, and life with Gaius. Throughout it all, there was much laughter and joking all around. Between tales of Camelot and the witty banter that the two boys shot back and forth to each other, Anita found herself watching them quietly.

She could tell that despite the way Arthur treated Merlin; they really were good friends. Not the best of friends, but really close to it. She also found herself noticing things that she'd had no time to notice earlier; such as how muscled Arthur was under all that armor, his gold hair, his chiseled jaw, his striking blue eyes, and that he was (surprisingly) a little on the short side. She then turned her attention from the prince to Merlin. Merlin's ears stuck out a bit, and were a little bigger then what would be considered average, his high cheekbones caught her attention, and his eyes, though a darker and more stormy shade of blue, struck her more deeply then Arthur's ever could.

Once again, Anita was hit with the thought that Merlin knew much more than he was letting on to; but, out of respect, she said nothing on the matter, letting him keep it to himself.

"What about you Anita? What about your family?" Arthur asked suddenly, breaking her out of her reverie.

"Oh! Well," she started. "My mom and dad are good respectable people. My brother is a carpenter, just like my dad; and he is also a good person. I have two uncles and three aunts, who all live in different states with their families, and all four grandparents who live about two hours away from here.

"That is a lot of family," Merlin said, surprised.

"It's pretty common now a days," she replied with a smile, getting up to clear the dishes.

Merlin jumped up to help her, giving Arthur a "look" while he did so. Arthur rolled his eyes at Merlin's look, but grabbed his dishes anyway and brought them over to the sink for Anita to clean. Anita took his plate gently, not trusting him to clean it himself. She just wanted to be sure he wouldn't break anything, and according to Merlin it was a very real possibility!

Merlin insisted on helping in some way, so Anita happily complied by having him dry the dishes she washed, and putting them back in their proper place. They all continued to pleasantly chat until the job was done, with the occasional questions to answer about running water, electricity, and dish soap.

It was almost ten-o-clock when Anita looked at the time; it had definitely been a long day! Finding two boys lost in time, taking them in, teaching them about the future, and making them dinner; it had certainly taken it out of her.

"Well," she said with a big yawn. "I'm going to bed; you guys can do what you want. You know, watch TV, or something."

Not turning around, Anita walked down the stairs slowly, debating weather or not to take a shower, or wait till morning. Since she had guests, she figured she probably _should_ shower. Closing the door to her room she quickly stripped down, threw her clothes in the hamper, grabbed her pajamas to put on the counter, and stepped into the shower. She tried not to take too long, slightly worried to leave the boys alone for an extended period of time; adults or not, she still worried.

She quickly dried off and pulled on the T-shirt and plaid pants that made up her pajamas. Opening up the door to the hall, she walked into her brother's bedroom to see Arthur sprawled across the mattress, looking out the window and into the night, a far off expression on his face. Merlin was sitting on the other mattress with his knees up to his chin; he was watching the prince out of the corner of his eye, obviously worried about him. Merlin looked up at Anita and smiled gently, tiredness clearly in his eyes. Both boys were wearing the pajamas they had chosen.

"You guys going to bed?" she asked softly

"Yeah, I think so," Merlin answered. "Will there be anything else sire?" he asked Arthur.

"No, Merlin," he said with a sigh. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Arthur," he answered.

Anita's heart went out to Arthur; he was obviously worried about his people, and probably his father. Who would want to be stuck out of their time period forever? Forever parted from their family and friends? Anita wanted to talk to Arthur and see if he would open up, but his stiff demeanor told her to just let it be for now.

"Goodnight," she said softly turning off the lights and walking back to her room.

Anita turned off the lights in her room, walked to the bed, slipped under the covers and snuggled deep within the blankets. Thoughts of Merlin's mysterious behavior, Arthur's obvious worry of not being able to get back home, and her own questions about them ran through her mind.

'I just hope that everything turns out ok,' she thought sadly, her eyes drifting shut.

Anita was suddenly awoken by some kind of rustling coming from the hallway. Glancing at the clock told her it was twelve thirty in the morning. Quietly slipping out of bed, she tiptoed through the door and peeked out into the game room.

To her great surprise, it was Merlin. He had changed into a pear of jeans and a hoodie, and was making his way towards the stairs.

"Merlin?" she whispered, stopping him dead in his tracks. "Where are you going?"

Merlin turned to look at her, trying to figure out what to say, and Anita just tried to take in the deep wisdom and understanding in his eyes. She had a feeling that he wasn't just going to tell her what he was doing, and most likely would try to make up an excuse, so she decided to just confront him.

"Come on," she said firmly, taking him by the arm and walking him up the stairs. Reaching the living room, she sat Merlin down on the couch and turned to face him.

"Merlin," she began. "You obviously know much more about this whole situation than you're letting on. For one, the fact that you've been playing dumb about magic when you yourself are a wizard is really confusing me!"

"You knew I had magic?" Merlin asked amazed.

"It's part of the legends Merlin," she said. "The Tales of King Arthur and the _Wizard_ Merlin!"

"Wow," he said in awe. 'Does that mean Arthur finds out about my magic?' he thought to himself.

"So…?" Anita hinted, reminding him of her question.

"Oh! Right… In Camelot, magic is banned. Those who are found practicing it are executed," Merlin said, staring down at his hands.

"What?" Anita said, barely keeping her voice in check, not wanting to wake the prince downstairs. "So Arthur really doesn't know that you have magic?"

"No," he said. "And he never can know; at least, not for a long time. Not until he unites the land of Albion."

"Albion?" she questioned.

Merlin smiled as he began to explain what he knew of his destiny. He also (much to Anita's delight) began to tell her about all of the times he had needed to save Arthur with his magic. Magical shields, water enchanted to kill, and poisoned goblets were but a few tales he told. When he told her about a man named Lancelot, Anita excitedly told him that he was part of the stories as well; she didn't tell him all that she knew about Lancelot, but she _did_ tell Merlin that Lancelot would indeed someday become a knight again. When Merlin told her about the "Healer" Edwin, and what had happened with him, Anita had pity on him and the revenge that he'd craved so badly; Merlin agreed whole heartedly, not understanding his use of magic for evil. He told of the Sidhe, and how he'd saved Arthur from being drowned by them, as well as the magical staff that he now had in his possession. He told of Mordred (she didn't even comment on him. She didn't want to) and how painful that experience was for him; also, he spoke of the Great Dragon, and how he had helped Merlin more than once. The Black Knight, and the challenge he posed to Arthur had Anita leaning forward in her seat; and the creation of Excalibur had her biting her tongue, not wanting to say anything! She cried with Merlin over the death of his best friend Will, the experience still hard for him to talk about. The curse of the unicorn, and the tests of Anhora, the keeper of the Unicorns, had Anita wincing at the plight of Camelot. And finally, Merlin's fight with Nimueh, which resulted in her death, had Anita gripping a pillow with white knuckles. To be so close to losing either his mother or Gaius, both of them being his family, she didn't know if she could handle it!

Merlin then got quiet; he was amazed that he had told this girl so much about him and his destiny, after he had just met her today! But then again, she did already know about his magic. And it felt so good to finally tell someone about everything that had been happening to him since coming to Camelot! And there was one more thing that he really wanted to get off his chest, something that had just been eating and eating at him. Seeing his troubled expression, Anita reached over and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Merlin?" she said quietly. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he said. "It's just…"

"What?" She asked, a worried expression on her face.

"It's Morgana," he sighed. "She betrayed Uther. She was angry with him for having Gwen's father Tom, killed. He was caught helping a sorcerer, but he didn't know he _was_ one. Morgana tried to help him, and he was killed trying to escape the dungeons. She made a plan with Tauren to kill the king at her father's grave. When I overheard, I went to the great dragon to ask what I should do, and he told me to just let it happen! But I couldn't do it! I stopped three of the men with the Sidhe's staff, and when I went to go save Uther…

"What happened Merlin?" Anita whispered. Merlin looked up.

"Morgana had already saved him," he said. "I don't know what made her change her mind, and I'm glad she did, but in the back of my mind I still don't trust her."

"I wouldn't either Merlin," she said gently. "But until she acts against the king again, you can't really do anything. You just have to watch her and wait."

Merlin nodded in agreement, already knowing this, but it felt nice to hear it from someone else.

"The important thing right now, is getting you both back home," she said firmly.

"Yeah, you're right," he answered.

"What _do_ we have to do to get you back?" Anita asked, knowing he _at least_ had an idea.

"Well," he started with a sigh. "Hadrian, that's the sorcerer who sent us here, couldn't have done this all by himself. He _had_ to have had help, someone on the other side of his spell to pull us through. If we find that person, then I think we'll be able to get back!"

"So if we find this sorcerer in my time, he'll be able to take you back to your time?" she asked with a tilt of her head. "Great!" she cried softly. "That shouldn't be too hard, right?"

"I don't know," Merlin answered honestly. "He _shouldn't_ be too far away. He couldn't be, he _had_ to be near to keep up the enchantment."

"So… you'll be able to sense him or something?" she asked, not completely sure how the whole 'magic' thing worked.

"Something like that," he responded with a smile. "It's hard to explain!"

"Is that what you were doing when I caught you?" she asked with a smirk. "Sneaking off to find the sorcerer?"

"Yeah, kind of," he said bashfully, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "I'm really surprised you heard me though!" he said with a chuckle.

"Well," she said with a little laugh. "I've always been a light sleeper."

Glancing at the clock, Anita had to hold back a groan when she saw the time. It was almost four in the morning!

"Say Merlin?" Anita asked her eyes already drooping. "Since it's so early, how about we save the man hunt for tomorrow night? That is, if we absolutely _have_ to do it in the middle of the night."

"We?" he asked with surprise.

"Yeah," she said with a wink. "No way am I letting you have all the excitement by yourself!"

Merlin smiled widely at Anita, truly glad for her help and friendship. He was a little nervous about her coming along, but for some reason, he felt that if he couldn't protect her, she'd be able to take care of herself. And with that in mind, they bid each other goodnight, hopeful about the next day that awaited them.


	3. Chapter 3

The day _did not_ go as well as Anita and Merlin had hoped. With both of them being tired from their discussion the night before, the thought of running around the area all day looking for a sorcerer that was most likely deep in hiding made the outlook quite bleak. And it was just as bad as they thought it would be! And to top it all off, they didn't find him.

Merlin had given Arthur the whole "Gaius had once mentioned" story, and explained that a spell that big had to have someone on the other side… meaning nearby. So now, Arthur wouldn't rest until they found him! Anita was pretty sure that the sleeping spell that Merlin had been putting Arthur under every night, so that he wouldn't wake up while they were gone was _really_ adding to his energy levels.

The next couple of days were not _too_ bad, but the level of sleep deprivation that Anita and Merlin got to was not helping them in the slightest. On day three, Anita finally told Merlin that when they got closer to finding the sorcerer, _then_ they would go out during the night! But until then, she figured that they had both had enough for now, and Merlin wholeheartedly agreed.

Through that time, Anita got to know the boys more and more, and she'd liked what she saw; except sometimes she couldn't even stand _looking_ at Arthur, he could be so arrogant sometimes! Both boys continued to learn about the future and all it had to offer, and they even got (kind of) used to riding in her car!

After nine days of searching with absolutely no results, Merlin finally felt something. They had been searching through the woods, Arthur was far ahead and Anita was with Merlin, when suddenly Merlin stopped and looked to the left. Anita was confused at his behavior and was trying to see what he was looking at, when Merlin turned to her… and his eyes were glowing gold!

"Do you feel something?" she asked excitedly.

"Yeah!" he said, sounding breathless all of a sudden. "Come on! This way!" Merlin called as he burst into a run with Anita hot on his heels. Anita felt a little bit bad for leaving Arthur by himself, but hopefully they were going to end this _now_! And that would make up for it… hopefully.

Merlin and Anita burst into a clearing, and came face to face with a man. He had a long coat, white shirt, dark pants, and boots; as well as a medallion that hung from his neck. He had long brown hair that was pulled back in a ponytail, and had a hard glare on his face. Anita would think later that he was very handsome.

Before Anita and Merlin could even react, the man stretched out his hand and yelled words that Anita couldn't understand.

Anita didn't even know how to describe the feeling of being lifted off the ground and thrown backwards by nothing. She hit a tree behind her, making dots dance before her eyes; and Merlin really wasn't doing any better. Anita, in a daze, watched the man come over and stand over them with a smug grin.

"Not as tuff as you thought you were, are you?" he said with a laugh.

"Who are you?" Merlin groaned, his head still spinning.

The man laughed. "I am Galindor!" he said with a smirk. "I'm impressed that you found me, you have quite the luck! But… you're luck has run out!" With that, Galindor raised his hand and opened his mouth to casts a spell. But just as he started to speak…

"Maybe it's _your_ luck that's run out!" Arthur yelled as he swung his sword at the sorcerer.

Galindor whipped around and threw Arthur back with a motion of his hand. He then grabbed the jewel on the medallion he was wearing, and yelled out yet another spell, the words echoing through the forest.

The wind started to surround him, kicking up dirt and leaves so much that Anita had to shield her eyes from it. Then, just as suddenly as it started… the wind stopped. As the dirt settled, Anita rubbed her eyes and looked to the clearing, shocked at what she saw. Galindor was gone. They had _finally_ found him, and yet they had nothing to show for it! He had disappeared just like that! Anita wanted to hit her fist on the ground, and apparently Arthur felt the same.

"Where did he go?" Arthur yelled angrily walking over to see if they were both all right.

"He's gone." Merlin said with a groan. Merlin turned to Anita and helped her up off the ground.

"Why didn't you call me?" said Arthur, looking at the two like they were idiots.

"We did!" Anita lied, easily faking it. "You're just deaf as a mule!" she finished with a scowl, dusting herself off.

Merlin and Arthur started debating/arguing about what to do next. The argued about how to find him, Merlin reminded Arthur about how long it took them to find him the first time, to which Arthur claimed that it should be easier to find him _this_ time. Merlin suggested that they return to the house and continue tomorrow, to which Arthur said that as long as there was daylight they could keep searching! Merlin asked _where_ they would look, and Arthur said that he had some idea (which really meant he had no idea…). And finally, Merlin brought up the fact that he was a sorcerer, and that they had no way to fight him, to which Arthur argued that if he was sustaining the spell that kept them here, he must be weaker then usual!

Anita had been leaning back against a tree and watching the whole thing, while also trying to ease her pounding headache. When the arguing got a little heated on Arthur's part, Anita stepped in.

"You know," she started as she rubbed her temples, "we could make a compromise. We'll keep searching until nightfall, _then,_ go back to the house, and then try again tomorrow. Okay? So can you both stop arguing so loudly and be calm now?" she finished her proposition with a sigh, their arguing was _really_ not helping to lessen the pain that felt like a hammer banging around in her head!

Merlin nodded silently, and Arthur finally did too. And they did indeed look till nightfall, and then some! But Merlin and Anita eventually got Arthur to leave.

Back at the house, Arthur was disheartened by the day's events, and Anita and Merlin both tried to make up for it over dinner. Anita had made fish and baked potatoes, and the boys complimented her for the meal as always. They eventually got Arthur to laugh a few times during the meal, and he was thankfully in better spirits by the time the all went to bed, much to Merlin's relief.

At about twelve thirty in the morning, Anita woke up and got dressed before walking out to the game room where Merlin was waiting for her, holding her bag out for her to take.

"Ready?" he asked quietly.

"Ready!" she answered excitedly.

By this time, they were both experts at sneaking out of the house. So it didn't take long to get out, climb into her little car, and quickly take off down the highway.

"So what's the plan Merlin?" Anita asked curiously, glancing from the road over at him. "Can you feel him?"

"Yes," said Merlin, answering the last question first. "Just keep going down this road until I tell you to stop." Merlin then turned to her and smiled. "And here's the plan. I've got a spell that will bind a lot of his powers, not all of them but some. And it takes some _very_ particular circumstances to break it!"

"So when you cast the spell," she mussed, "you'll know what he has to do, and when he tries to break it… we can head him off!" Anita said brightly.

"Yeah!" Merlin said with a grin. "It's going to be dangerous though," he said, his smile slipping a bit.

Anita didn't waste any time stopping Merlin's train of thought. "Merlin!" she said firmly, "I am going with you! I can take care of myself, so you don't have to worry!" she said with a small smirk. Merlin simply nodded in agreement, giving up the fight.

Merlin didn't tell Anita to turn for a good fifteen miles, and when he did, he told her to stop only a little ways up the small dirt road.

"We'll walk from here," he whispered. "Come on."

They walked for almost an hour before reaching a clearing with a small shack sitting in the middle, the trees casting strange shadows everywhere from the moonlight. Merlin had told Anita his plan, and the part she was going to play in it. So with a nod from him, she walked out into the clearing for all to see.

"Hey!" she yelled towards the shack, hearing a crash like something breaking after she did. "Still think my luck is running out?" she yelled with a laugh. "Cause I found you _again_!"

Galindor opened the door and stalked out of the shack. "How?" was all he asked, glaring down at her darkly.

"That's _my_ secret," she said with a smirk. "Point is, I found you, so what are you going to do about it?"

Galindor raised his hand towards her, about to cast a spell, when Anita heard Merlin yell from the clearing, and Galindor was thrown back. He hit the ground with a hard thump, groaning horribly.

When he made a move to get up, Anita, once again not thinking, darted forward and punched him clean in the face, sending him back to the ground with a grunt. When he didn't move a muscle, Anita grabbed her fist in pain, and winced at the throbbing.

Anita turned as Merlin came sprinting out of the trees, coming to a stop at Galindor's side. Kneeling down next to him, Merlin held his hand a little above Galindor's chest, and began speaking in a language that seemed to awake something deep within Anita; something deep and mysterious that made her heart pound, and her adrenaline start to pump through her veins. Anita looked over at Merlin's eyes, taking in the gold color that glowed there, and was amazed to see the same glow shining through Galindor's eyelids.

When the spell was finished, Merlin took Anita's hand and pulled her up. "We need to go before he wakes up!" he said quickly, pulling her towards the trees. Glancing back at her with a grin, he laughed. "Nice hit by the way!"

Anita tried to hold back the blush that wanted to come. "Thanks," she said with a laugh.

They ran almost the whole way back to the car, gasping for breath by the time they got there.

"You did it right?" Anita asked trying to catch her breath. "Cause if you didn't, I'm going to smack you!"

Merlin laughed at her threat. "Don't worry, I did it!" he said. "Now we just have to wait until the time that the spell has to be broken! Then we'll have him." He assured.

"Great!" Anita said with a sigh, "then let's go home."

The duo climbed into the car quickly, and started on there way back. "Merlin?" Anita asked, slightly worried. "How are we going to explain to Arthur how we know all this? I mean we have to explain _a lot_ of magic stuff."

Merlin sighed. "I'm still figuring that part out," he admitted embarrassedly.

"Great!" Anita said, holding out the 'a' to extenuate her statement. "Good luck with that!" she said with a roll of her eyes.

"Yeah…" Merlin sighed. "We'll see how that goes."


End file.
